Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Pohjola's Daughter

{$Colin Davis} has firmly established himself as a master interpreter of the {symphonies} and { one poems} of {$Jean Sibelius}, and his great recordings of the late twentieth century have been favorites for many fans of this music. It should come as no surprise that {$Davis}' 2005 recording of the perennially popular {&Symphony No. 2 in D major} and {&Pohjola's Daughter} on {@LSO Live} is an excellent addition to his impressive catalog given the intelligent interpretations of this conductor, the responsive playing of the {$London Symphony Orchestra}, and the extraordinary direct stream digital sound that is a feature of this label's releases. Recorded in September and October 2005 in London's Barbican, the {$LSO} conveys the misty atmosphere and heroic strength of these works; the levels of energy and expression are high and sustained throughout these performances, and there are neither weak spots to detract nor mistakes to disappoint. Considering that these concert recordings have almost no detectable audience noise, and that the orchestra is always clearly audible, even at a low volume, there are no reasons to regard this package as inferior in any way to {$Davis}' digital recordings of the same pieces for {@RCA}, or his earlier analog recordings for {@Philips}. The reproduction of this standard CD release is only slightly less vivid and realistic than the hybrid SACD, which features stereo and 5.1 multichannel mixes. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide